Monthly Archives: September 2016

Welcome to our New WSL Blog for Wyoming Library News

Although it has served us well, we’re leaving the Wyoming Libraries blog behind as we begin our new Wyoming State Library News page here, part of our just-launched library.wyo.gov website. Follow us to keep up on happenings at the state library, from around the state, and from the national library community.

MyHeritage Access in GoWYLD.net to Cease Oct. 1

The GoWYLD.net Shared Purchases Committee has announced that the MyHeritage genealogy database will not be renewed. Access to MyHeritage will end Oct. 1. Wyoming residents will still have in-library access to Ancestry Library, as well as remote access to the other GoWYLD genealogy resources.

The group plans to explore options to expand GoWYLD resources for job skills and career development, given the current economic climate in Wyoming.

Among its duties, the Shared Purchases Committee monitors use of GoWYLD electronic resources, recommends purchases, and identifies potential products for statewide licensing.

Pew Research Center Releases Libraries 2016

This month, the Pew Research Center released a new report, Libraries 2016, that delves into Americans’ attitudes toward public libraries, library use and engagement, and a portrait of those who have never been to libraries. The report found that visitation trends have steadied and that Americans have high expectations of what their local libraries should offer:

“People see libraries as a safe place, a source of educational opportunity and trusted information, as well as a place to ignite creativity in young people.”

The report also found that many people believe closing libraries would hurt their communities.

Wyoming’s Top Ten Artifacts for 2016

Flag celebrating Wyoming’s statehood, owned by the American Heritage Center.

The votes are in, and the Top 10 Artifacts of Wyoming have been named for 2016. Topping the list was Metzger’s Bugle, a flattened brass bugle from the Civil War era found on the Fetterman Fight battlefield in the 1880s, held by the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum.

Here’s the rest of the Top 10 list. (See the images on the UW Libraries website.) One of the state’s archives, the American Heritage Center, made the list with a Wyoming statehood flag.

Dubois Museum:Bowl. The Mountain Shoshone also known as the Sheep Eaters made steatite bowls from quarries located in several areas of Wyoming.

Brinton Museum:Artifact. Attributed to Two Leggings (ca. 1847-1923), Chief of the River Crows, this painted buffalo hide war shirt dates from c. 1870.

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation:Artifact. This local granite river stone weights approximately 200 lbs. & measures roughly 19″H x 17″W x 16″D. It was hand-carved in 1942 by poet Taketaro Azeka, while he and his family were at “Heart Mountain.”

University of Wyoming Archaeological Repository:Artifact. This Bison antiquus cow was found at the Agate Basin site in Niobrara County. It was considered to be an ancestor of today’s bison.

American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming:Artifact. This is a flag that was used in Laramie’s celebration of Wyoming’s statehood. It is an American flag with an additional star to represent Wyoming.

Wyoming State Museum:Painting. Hide painting created in 1931 by Charles Washakie, the youngest son of Chief Washakie of the Wind River Band of Shoshone.

Saratoga Historical and Cultural Association:Artifact. This is a handmade keepsake box built by a prisoner of war held at the POW camp located at Ryan Park in the Medicine Bow Mountains (Snowy Range) of Carbon County, Wyoming.

Wyoming’s Most Significant Artifacts program was launched in 2015 by the Wyoming State Historical Society in partnership with the UW Libraries in celebration of 125 years of Wyoming Statehood and has become an annual effort. Its purpose is to provide recognition to the cultural institutions throughout Wyoming that preserve and provide access to collections that enhance our enjoyment and understanding of Wyoming’s heritage and provide ongoing learning and research opportunities.

October Continuing Education Calendar

The October 2016 Wyoming State Library training calendar is now available. Every training opportunity on this list is free and offered online. Topics include advocacy, planning, careers, children and teens, collection development, communication, databases, managing change, fundraising, legal, management, outreach and partnerships, programming, readers’ advisory, reference, school libraries, technology, training and instruction, and volunteers. View, download, or subscribe to the calendar at www.wyominglibraries.org/calendar.html.

Today is Banned Websites Awareness Day

To raise awareness of the overly restrictive blocking of legitimate, educational websites and academically useful social networking tools in schools and school libraries, AASL has designated one day during Banned Books Week as Banned Websites Awareness Day. On Wednesday, September 28, AASL asks school librarians and other educators to promote an awareness of how overly restrictive filtering affects student learning.

State Archives to Celebrate American Archives Month

October is American Archives Month, and the Wyoming State Archives is celebrating in style, with two workshops, and participation in two national campaigns to bring awareness of archivists and archival collections to the public:

#AskanArchivistDayOctober 5Archivists around the country will take to Twitter to answer your questions about any and all things archives. This day-long event, sponsored by the Society of American Archivists offers the opportunity to connect directly on Twitter with archivists locally and around the country to ask questions, get information, or just satisfy your curiosity. Just tweet a question and include the hashtag #AskAnArchivist. It will be seen instantly by archivists who will be standing by to respond directly to you. You can also direct questions to Wyoming’s archives: the State Archives (@WyoArchives), American Heritage Center (@ahcwyo), and Buffalo Bill Center of the West (@centerofthewest).

Preserving is not Just for Vegetables and Fruits – Preserving Your Family History RecordsOctober 13 at 7 p.m.Lecture at the Wyoming State Museum, 2301 Central Ave., Cheyenne You’ve done the family history research, collected all the documents, photos, stories, movies — now what? Don’t get caught up in the jam of preservation. Archivists from the will share recommended methods for handling and storing your treasures and will offer advice on digitizing your collections. Archivists from the Wyoming State Archives, including specialists in visual, paper, and digital materials, will be the presenters,=. Cindy Brown will speak on digitizing your records, Robin Everett on caring for papers and bound materials, and Suzi Taylor on preserving old photographs. This program is part of the Wyoming State Museum’s lecture series.

Finding Your Wyoming Roots in the ArchivesOctober 29 from 9 a.m. to noonWorkshop at the Wyoming State Archives, 2301 Central Ave., Cheyenne
State Archives staff members Suzi Taylor, Robin Everett, and Carl Hallberg will guide you through the search for your family in vital records, city directories, and school records. You will discover buried treasure about your family’s history in state records. After an introduction to the sources, attendees will be invited to spend an hour beginning their search in the Archives, using all the tips and tricks they have just learned. A second session later this year will cover court (including naturalization) and land records.

Buchholz Celebrates 40 years at the Park County Public Library

When Marjorie (Marge) Helgesen was hired as an assistant in the children’s department of the Park County Public Library in Cody in 1976, she had no idea she would continue to serve the people of Cody and Park County for 40 years. She’s now Marge Buchholz, and her years of service are being celebrated with a public reception in the Biblio Bistro of the Park County Public Library in Cody from 9 am to 4 pm on Tuesday, September 27.

She was promoted to circulation manager in 1978, then became manager of the Cody library in 2005. She’s seen many changes in her years with the library with the arrival of automation and other technologies. Vinyl records were replaced by audio cassettes, CDs, video tapes, DVDs, and most recently by downloadable audiobooks and e-books for patrons to enjoy on a computer or mobile device. One of the big changes Marge experienced came when she was involved in the project to create a new library for Cody in the former Marathon Oil Company building.

Often found at the main circulation desk to remain in touch with the community, Marge also reviews and orders many of the books and other materials added to the collection of the library. Assisted by the very generous Friends of the Cody Library, Marge has built an enviable collection of educational and informational CDs and DVDs that are well used by library patrons.

Marge said her work experience at the Cody library “is the most wonderful, relevant, interesting, happiest job experience I have had in my life.”